OUR GROUP

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 In 2014, the local Anderson South Carolina Veterans Administration Clinic closed its doors to their counseling services for a group of veterans with PTSD issues. Up until its last day, the program was highly effective due to the talent and understanding of the local VA staff. Veterans were cut off from a critical lifeline and left with a shattered support network.

Over the next several months, the orphaned group found ways to do what any veteran learns. They found a way to keep moving forward. There were three key milestones that lead to the basis of today's "Vets Helping Vets Anderson". Each of the fourteen was committed to the group’s long-term survival. Second, the group formed a relationship with the Anderson South Carolina Elks Club who welcomed them and provided a meeting place second to none. The third and most important milestone was a decision by the original fourteen that to sustain Vets Helping Vets, any veteran with an honorable discharge would be welcomed with open arms. Today, any honorably discharged veteran is welcomed regardless of rank, branch of service, military experience, or history. Today, Vets Helping Vets is a tight knit group of veterans representing World War II up to Iraq and Afghanistan.

About 170 to 180 veterans attend our weekly Wednesday morning meetings. As you can imagine, most are Vietnam era veterans, but our ranks are growing with veterans from all mid-east conflicts.

Our meetings are like no other veteran's group meetings. Yes, we eat donuts, drink coffee, and tell great jokes focusing on our neighbor's branch of service. But most importantly, we honor our name: Vets Helping Vets. We look out for each other. We have each other's back. When one of us trips or falls, another one picks up their rucksack and helps them through whatever issue they are experiencing.

Our meetings have six simple rules: no politics, no religion (however, we do close our meeting with a prayer from our Chaplin), no cussing, no blood and guts war stories, respect for whoever is speaking, and, most importantly, whatever is said in the meeting room stays in the meeting room. Our dress is simple - our black t-shirts with our logo and a veteran's cap. No Brasso and no spit-shine. Our only military relics are our experiences. We offer camaraderie, close friendships and, most of all, respect and help.

What kinds of "help" you may wonder. We focus on veterans in the organization on an as-needed basis. We also target donations to wider reaching veteran organizations that focus on certain needs and can show an extremely low expense ratio. That is, veteran-focused organizations that can put a remarkably high percentage of their income directly into a veteran's hands. We follow that guideline also. We are a totally volunteer organization. We find ways of getting our treasury directly to veterans. One exception - the Wednesday morning coffee and donuts. We “pass the hat” for that essential piece of our fellowship. We maintain yards for our sick, handicapped, or aged members. We build access ramps for our vets that can no longer handle stairs. We run errands for our aged members. We make donations towards service dogs for members. One of our members donated a kidney to another member and we financially helped them with expenses not covered by insurance. Many members staff the local American Legion Honor Guard for local veteran funerals. We donate funds to members with unusual emergency needs or assistance with long term care issues.

If you are an honorably discharged veteran living in upstate South Carolina or adjoining Georgia areas, you are very welcome to join us.

 We are now in the process of building our own meeting house, the Anderson Veterans Center. Until it is opened, just remember, every Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. at  Hope Fellowship Church. 213 Brown Rd., Anderson.  You will need proof of your military service such as a copy of your DD 214, or your VA Identification card, or your state ID or driver’s license that includes your veteran status endorsement. It doesn't matter what your rank or what you did or where you served while in service to the United States. When you come through the entry door, you are a Veteran, and we welcome you home!  

 We also have a group for combat veterans that meets every Monday. Its membership is only combat veterans, and it is solely for the support of combat veterans, aka grunts. This Vets Helping Vets group requires a copy of your DD 214 that shows a combat MOS with corresponding service ribbons and deployments. The group does not offer professional services. However, it does offer that special brotherhood built on the experiences of others who, like you, survived combat and its long term effects. If you feel this need, here is a very effective way to build a bond with veterans who have walked your same path, both in combat and after their service. They still walk the path, but it’s not as challenging for them now. 

If you wish more information on this group  please call Jesse at 864-245-0181.